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Stamp exhibition opens in Sharjah

Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Corporation, has opened the 28th Asian International Stamp Exhibition (Sharjah 2012), hosted by the Emirates Philatelic Association (EPA) at Mega Mall Sharjah.

The exhibition, held under the patronage of the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately (FIAP), boasts some 200 exhibitors and 30 dealers from 24 countries, and will run until November 25.

Michael Ho, FIAP coordinator for Sharjah 2012, said: “Philately in the GCC countries has been booming, with the standards becoming higher and higher. Promotion and education of philately to the local Arabic population is continuous as can be seen from the Sharjah 2011, the Second Sharjah Arabian Stamp Exhibition held in October 2011 and of course, this year’s much anticipated Sharjah 2012. Through events like this, we are looking forward to a seeing the science go from strength to strength in the region.”

One of the highlights of Sharjah 2012 is that it provides an opportunity for young stamp collectors to make their mark in the ‘Youth Philately’ class in the age categories 10-15 years, 16-18 years or 19-21 years.

Seasoned philatelists are also able to compete in 13 separate classes, including Traditional Philately, Postal History, Thematic Philately and Aerophilately, as well as the coveted FIAP Championship Class, which is only open to collections that have been awarded at least three large gold medals at exhibitions patronised by FIP/FIAP over the past 10 years. Awards, including large gold medals, gold medals, large vermeil medals, vermeil medals, large silver medals, silver medals, silver bronze medals, bronze medals and certificates of participation will be presented in each category.

The results from the first round of judging — which commenced two days prior to the opening of the show — have already been announced and the selection of Grand Prix candidates by the presidium will be held today.

The six-day event further boasts an exciting programme of activities and seminars. Those visiting the exhibition on Thursday can look forward to English language FIAP Philatelic seminars on ‘A simple and enjoyable way to form your first thematic exhibit’ and ‘Understanding postal history and forming your postal history exhibit’ and an Arabic language lecture on ‘How to prepare your exhibit’, as well as a Philatelic auction.

Commenting on the exhibition, Laura Watts, Mega Mall General Manager, said: “We’ve been planning the event in conjunction with the Emirates Philatelic Association with the objective of creating an event that is interactive and educational and fun for all and, following the success of the opening ceremony we are excited to be welcoming visitors throughout the week.”

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com